"We hope that it's a very short stay, because I do believe we're a lot better with Tony on our club," Reds manager Bryan Price said.

In a 4-3 loss to the Pirates on Thursday, Cingrani issued three walks in 1 2/3 innings and walked home the winning run with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th inning. He was moved to the bullpen on Saturday after Mat Latos took his spot in the rotation.

Cingrani was 2-8 with a 4.55 ERA in 13 games, including 11 starts. He will start for Louisville to get back his command back.

"That gives him a chance to know when he's going to throw, to know when he has a side day," Price said. "I think the side days are going to be important. When he comes back here -- as it stands right now if we had no injuries -- he'd be coming back as a reliever."

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.